


Tell Me A Story

by T_WolfXD



Category: Five Nights at Freddy's
Genre: AU, M/M, OCs are prominent but also not, Oh god it's the afton and schmidt situation but ten times worse, READ THESE TAGS OR ELSE YOU'LL BE CONFUSED AF, Vincent and William aren't the same, Why do I do this to myself, not canon whatsoever, one michael, read my tumblr for more info, this is what i get for trying to mix together canon and non-canon characters, two purple guys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:13:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27936069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/T_WolfXD/pseuds/T_WolfXD
Summary: Thank you for stopping by!Also posted to my tumblr, find more info about my works there: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/fnaficsfordays
Relationships: Purple Guy/Michael Afton
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	Tell Me A Story

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for stopping by!  
> Also posted to my tumblr, find more info about my works there: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/fnaficsfordays

Mina walked towards the table, a tray in her hands. She narrowed her eyes at the people already at it, dropping into her seat with a huff.

“Pizza’s looking promising today.” One of them remarked, not glancing up from the phone they held in one hand.

She snorted. “As if. They ran out of pepperoni and this was the only meat left.”

“Mate, if you’re gonna be complaining about sausage, then might as well give me it.” Another gave her a look. “Been on nothin’ but mushrooms for the past few days.”

The first did a double-take, finally glancing up from their phone with a choking sputter. “Wha- Jake- You didn’t- You _what_?”

Jake looked at them blankly for a second, before understanding flashed in his eyes. With a curse, he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Not like _that_ , you fucker! I was talking about the pizza, not- ugh. Not _shrooms_. Get your head out of your ass for once.”

“Language.”

“Oh, shuddup.” Jake flicked the person next to him. “Walt, you’re a hell of a shit-talker on the shift. Don’t go there.”

“I’ll trade the sausage for mushrooms.” Mina slid over her plate with a raised eyebrow. “As long as there’s olives with it, we’re good.”

“Right on here. Take it.” Jake passed it over. “Long night?”

“...Could have been worse.” She shrugged. “Dillan was closer to losing his head than I was, though.”

A noncommittal grunt came from across the table, from the only person that hadn’t spoken yet. “Seen worse, survived worse. At least the power didn’t drop out completely.”

“But it got close.”

“Not too close.” He straightened his posture, dark elbows resting on the table. “But still, yeah. Close.”

“As long as you don’t leave us stranded, we’ll be fine and dandy.” They finally set down their phone, reaching for their own slice of pizza. “But nothing special?”

“Nothing, Stella. Just a hard shift.” Mina frowned.

A long silence fell over them for a few moments, as they gradually began to dig in. Mina inwardly shuddered as she began to eat, thoughts flickering back to their shift. Foxy had been way too close- the metal door survived him running towards the office in that attack, but still. The deep scrapes of metal against metal hadn’t helped her nerves whatsoever.

“Something popped up on your mind, Dill?” Stella’s voice jolted her out of her thoughts, looking at the guard’s thin-lipped frown. “Haven’t picked up your food.”

His eye twitched for a moment. “...Just memories.”

“Well, go on an’ spit it out, mate.” Jake leaned back in his chair, glancing at Dillan too. “C’mon. Last night couldn’t have been too bad. You’ve been here the longest. Spill it up.”

“Technically… yes.” He still stared down at his plate, before exhaling and glancing around at each of them. “...Wasn’t about last night, though. Just another story.”

“What’s it this time?” Mina brushed off the thoughts of that shift altogether, leaning forward. “You haven’t told one for weeks.”

Jake gave a small chortle. “Still can’t believe that they once gave Freddy an actual instrument to play on-”

“Well, this is much different.” Dillan interrupted, voice suddenly flat. “And this one wasn’t something I experienced in person. Scott told me about it, before he…”

“Passed. We get it.” Stella raised an eyebrow. “So… how does it begin?”

“It’s an old one, for sure.” He chuckled sourly. “Happened over a year before I came here, and it’s… a strange one. Scott was around for it of course, but… I had a bit of difficulty believing in it myself. At least for a little while.”

“Well, get going.” Walt gestured with a hand. “Did it begin with him?”

“No, actually doesn’t. Begins with the owner’s son.”

“Wha-” Jake’s eyes went wide, as did everyone else at the table. “William had a _son_ -?”

“Apparently so.” Dillan muttered. “A lot kinder, though ‘course he got roped into the business by his dad. Was one of the first night guards for the place. Name was Michael. In fact, when he was still around, Scott said he was there to help work each new guard into the environment. Not much around comfort, but still. Kept them well alive throughout their first night- long enough for them to leave, at least. Though ‘course, some still stayed. Scott, for one, and a couple others with lives fucked up enough.”

“Language…”

Dillan scowled at Walt. “If you’re thinking about saying that every time I express how the story was, better save your breath. I ain’t planning on stopping, and I ain’t gonna think highly of your priorities if you’re still carin’ by the end.”

A cold silence dropped on them at the end of his words. “It’s one of _those_ stories, isn’t it.”

“Should get used to it.” He glanced over at Mina with a sigh. “Wasn’t lying when I said it was different from the last.

“But anyways… Michael was always pretty sympathetic when it came ‘round to accepting those that still stayed, even after learning ‘bout the horrors going on underneath. Probably ‘cause he was just as trapped into it as they were. He’d eventually heard all the reasons, as had Scott. Nowhere else to go, desperate for the money, wanting to go out with a bang, hoping for some purpose in life… there was no reason for staying they _hadn’t_ already gotten. And accepted. Really, lotta this stuff, like watching over the newer employees… he was going behind his father’s back to do it. Didn’t really show concern in an obvious way, but… still. Ten times better than William could ever be, to Scott.”

“Not a high bar to pass.”

“I know, right? Still,” Dillan shrugged, “The guy was good. He told about the risks as soon as he could. The ones that ended up dyin’ down the line, he made sure to not forget. Scott said he wrote down their names in a journal somewhere. But kept moving forward, ‘cause he knew that if he ended up dead then no one would still care about the new guards.

“Then, one day…” He took in a deep breath. “One day, they got another guard. His name was Vincent.”

“Sounds fancy.”

He cracked a crooked smile, the first one the whole morning. “A completely wrong assumption, for once. Vincent was… well, as Scott put it, ‘perfect for Freddy’s’. Nothing but oddities, and you could tell from the moment you saw him.

“What, some sort of physical disorder?”

“You got no idea. Let’s put it this way: If you stuck him inside a field of overgrown lavender, you’d never know he was there as long as his eyes were closed.” He shook his head slowly. “The guy’s skin was _purple_. Deeper color than the uniforms, and his hair too, in a raggedy ponytail. Only thing that stood out was his eyes. Completely silver. Not gray. Bright as the damn moon, and he wasn’t even blind.”

“That’s gotta be a joke, mate.” Jake gave a nervous chuckle. “It- nah. People don’t get made like that. Not even with a physical disorder.”

“I’m not the one trying to get you to believe it.” Dillan snorted. “There’s proof available later, and that’ll be enough. But still. He came into Freddy’s looking for the night shift, and when Michael and Scott were the first to greet ‘em there… well, Michael’s kindness all but vanished.”

“Oh?”

"The guy was purple, alright? Sure, he didn't do anything, but didn’t take a genius to think he could have easily meant bad news. As logical an’ level minded as Scott says he acted during the tour. He swore something was just off. Afterwards, as they were preparing for his first shift… he asked Michael if he was still going to stay and guide the dude. He said yes, though he was still suspicious. Couldn't blame him, with how scarily calm Vincent was still being. Later on, Scott left, and… Michael was left to start the shift with him.

"Don't know much about the specifics of what happened that night." Dillan admitted. "This is all coming from Scott, and he only got what Michael told him. But he _did_ say more about his… behavior. Vincent stayed calm through the whole night, only popping in a few questions here and there. He knew a lot about the place, though. Knew about the disturbing things to the animatronics, knew it all. Even the things he didn't know… well, Michael said he acted surprised, but it didn't stay for long enough. Didn't exactly lower his suspicions."

"No kidding."

"Michael hadn't even pried into Vincent's reasons for coming, though. To no one’s surprise, the guy decided to stay on the job. But then… he told Scott something else that _did_ surprise him.

"Michael wanted to work out a couple more shifts with the dude. Normally, he only did the very first night with the new guards, regardless of if they stayed or not. But it was clear that his suspicion was rising. The next few shifts, still the same deal. Vincent didn't try anything funny, despite still acting weird. Started warming up, in a sense. Nothing Michael wouldn't have heard before, just… well, cynical comments. Usual stuff that you find yourself muttering in this job. Even though he made it pretty clear that he wasn't fond of the dude, Vincent did nothing."

"Didn't even question his cold shoulder?"

"Absolutely nothing." He frowned. "Michael was still uncertain, but he started to relax. Only thing he was frustrated about at that point was the fact that Vincent hadn't said a thing about his past yet, and well… he _was_ curious."

At this point, Dillan's eyes began to dim, falling silent for a moment. Mina tilted her head slightly, the pizza lying cold on her plate. All of them had seemed to have forgotten their breakfast.

"Go on, mate." Jake raised an eyebrow. "Did he end up findin' out?"

"After about a week, yeah. Michael _had_ heard it all, after all. But still, this was… something. Scott himself only found out 'cause he was eavesdropping on them after 6 AM had hit." He exhaled slowly. "...Quite the conversation inside that office.

"Michael seemed to have just pushed the question up front. ‘No connections whatsoever, huh?’

“‘No. Have a hard time making them, given my skin.’ Still being a casual fucker in his words. ‘I thought you’d never get around to asking me.’

“‘Look, it’s just hard to tell. This pizzeria is already a mess as it is, and when someone with purple skin comes in…’

“‘Didn’t say I didn’t get it. I came here because I heard about it being a mess.’

“‘And why did you stay?’

“...Vincent didn’t seem to respond, for a moment. Scott says he couldn’t tell if it was because he was actually thinking about it himself, or if he was actually hiding something. Michael started to mention about how everyone around here had a messed-up life, let alone a life at all, but then… Vincent _did_ say something.”

“...What was it?”

“‘I know. I was hoping to find someone _not_ messed up.’

A long, slow silence befell the break room. Mina swallowed. “ _Excuse me_?”

“That’s what Scott says he said.” Dillan’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Michael seemed shocked too. ‘ _What_?’

“‘I’ve dealt with a lot of shitty things in life, dude. This isn’t exactly the first. No parents, no friends, homeless for a while before finally landing a factory job. Then escaped. Got here. But there’s something you learn, in dealing with shitty things.’ Scott swore his voice was lighter than a damn cloud. ‘You seek out the best things in the worst environments.’

The thin screech of a chair scraping against the ground. “He’s not wrong,” Walt muttered, “I’ll give him that. It’s a truth like hell. You appreciate what’s good in the world the most when you can’t find it.”

“‘Hell’ is right.” His fingers clasped together, propping himself up on his elbows. “But Michael wasn’t done. Understood what he meant, but… still. ‘What’s the best thing _here_ , then?’

“And then Vincent…” Dillan’s mouth twitched into a small smirk. “Then he said, ‘I’ll go with _you_.’”

“Mate, well…” Jake chuckled. “‘Least someone woulda gotten to say it. Sure seems like the truth to me.”

“Oh, it was. It most definitely was. But Michael wasn’t having it. ‘That’s somehow the worst thing you’ve said all night.’

“‘No, it’s not. I know how you’re technically not supposed to warn the night guards about what they’re getting into, let alone actually staying to make sure they don’t die. And you wanted to make sure I wasn’t any extra trouble, which is why you stayed longer. You’re by _far_ the best thing around here.’

“‘It’s a low standard. It’s taking simple responsibility.’

“‘Still more responsibility than anyone else takes around here.’ I can just imagine his grin, even if I never heard ‘em say it. ‘I was interested in seeing if I could find someone alright in this hellhole, and I did it. I’m staying.’”

“...Wow.” Stella’s single word captured Mina’s feelings, all at once. “...He shouldn’t have stayed.”

“No, he shouldn’t have.” Dillan sighed. “But, well, Michael didn’t stop him. After that night, Michael didn’t actually tell Scott about any of it. Scott was confident they didn’t know he had been listening, so… it was clear he’d still had a hard time taking in what Vincent said.”

“What happened next?”

“Michael… still kept staying on the shift with Vincent, whenever he had it. The rest of the guards of the time didn’t notice much, but Scott…” He gave a light chuckle. “He was quite curious about why Michael was still spending so much time around him. When asked about it, Michael admitted that his suspicions were wrong, but still. Didn’t quite give a straight answer as to why.

“Months passed by, and it was the same. There weren’t any new guards, and Vincent stayed alive, of course. But still, something _did_ change, beyond what anyone else could see. The only one that did was Scott, and as soon as he came to the conclusion… well…” A sigh. “It made sense immediately. Why he was still doing the shift with Vincent and Vincent alone, the complete lack of tension between ‘em from that day onwards… everything.”

“What?” Jake’s eyes were gleaming. “Plannin’ something? Tryna escape the pizzeria? Killin’ William?”

An amused scoff, and the shake of the head. Dillan’s eyes were glittering, a mingled smile on his lips. Joy, sorrow, bitterness, emptiness, and everything in between in the thin curve. “Love.” He murmured. “Those two guards, the oldest and the newest, fuckin’ fell in _love_.”

A small, dry gasp came from the table, and it took Mina a moment to realize it was herself. “...Really.”

“No. This is out of a damn _fairytale_.” Stella leaned back, shaking her head. “T-That’s a joke, right? This is too much. They can’t actually have-”

“All I’m telling you is what Scott told me.” Dillan raised an eyebrow. “Come on, it couldn’t have been that huge of a surprise. I’ve had my bets on a few of you doin’ something together when no one’s watching-”

Walt coughed, eyes bulging for a moment. “ _Excuse me_?!”

Jake cackled, slapping him on the shoulder. “Take a walk, mate! It ain’t like this place was ever innocent. You think _nothing’s_ ever gonna happen? Been here for a few months and still ya think you’re gonna make it to the other side!”

“On with the story.” Mina swallowed, ignoring the outburst. “...Were they _really_ in love?”

“Yes.” Dillan’s smile greyed out for a split second, but he took in a deep breath. “ _Now_ , rumors started flyin’ around the rest of the guards. The way they were mainly talking to each other during breakfast, the hand-holding that barely got pushed out of sight… goddamn, Michael was lucky his father didn’t notice. Or rather, that none of the other guards told ‘em.”

“Did Scott say anything further?”

“Mmm, no. Not at the time of it, not to Michael. ‘Course, it was a dangerous relationship, but…” He trailed off slightly. The slightest grimace went through his face. “Well, they were willing to risk it. They kept each other alive through the night. But of course, things… ended up changing.

“William, as brutish as ever… decided to split up the night shift into two offices. The ones we got now.” Dillan frowned. “Scott said it was hard to gauge if it was truly because he caught some wind of what was going on between them, but… still. Or maybe trying to keep Michael from helping out other guards like usual. But either or neither way, it threw a wrench into the schedule. One guard had to be in each, and so things switched around.

“Did they still take the same shifts together?”

“Naturally. Scott said whenever he dropped by early to catch the very end of their shared shift, it was clear as day. So damn relieved to see the other still alive and in one piece, sometimes even leaving before breakfast just to have some time to themselves.” Despite the calm tone of his words, his frown stayed in place. If anything, it furthered. “A shaky system, especially for them… an’ after just a few weeks, it broke.”

Dillan’s posture had been relaxed and curved into his chair throughout most of the story, but now he hunched slightly over the table, eyes dark. He didn’t speak further for a moment, and Mina swore she could see the slightest tremble in his worn shoulders. Her stomach churned, swallowing to ask, but Walt beat her to it.

“How… badly did it go wrong?”

He gave a long, slow exhale. “What happened… was only put together from camera footage. Scott never got the chance to ask either about it. But… started out as usual. Vincent in the original office, Michael in the newer one. A long, difficult night. The animatronics darting in and out almost constantly; not a moment to breathe. Then…

“...It was silent.” His head drooped so low to the table. “Not even a chance to scream. Not a chance to call out, to make anything heard. Michael couldn’t make himself heard. It was much too quick.”

“...What?”

“A split second, a single moment looking too long at the monitor, and… one of them gouged out his chest. Left a hole. No ability to scream from the pain, just… the consciousness to feel it.” Dillan swallowed audibly, a ragged sound. “Fell to the ground. Still two hours left to go. Vincent couldn’t ever have known.”

Mina was shaking. Dillan’s stories had always been dark, as had every tale from this pizzeria. Yet this one… was different. _Horribly_ different.

“When the shift was finally over… it was much too late. You could see Vincent call out while walking through the hall towards the office. There’s… no way he wouldn’t have known by then, but he still had to walk in… an’ see him. Didn’t need to be there to know that it was cold. Long cold.

“No expression on his face.” He whispered. “Even if the camera had a better quality, y’ just know there wouldn’t have been one. Vincent simply… picked him up, in his arms. The cameras went fuzzy for a solid moment, and by the time it came back… he was gone. All gone, nothing but the bloody stains on the tiles.

“By the time anyone else had gotten there, found out what happened through the cameras… he was nowhere to be found. Nor was Michael’s body. None of the cameras showed where he went. But… one thing was left. One thing.” Dillan took in a shuddering breath. “Know that paper that sits in the second office?”

“I… which?”

“The five words. Scribbled up near the top of the page.”

Mina gulped. “‘ _You know what you did_ ’?”

He gave a solemn nod. “ _That_ was found the morning after. On the desk, next to the monitor. No cameras showed either of ‘em writing it, but… it was handwritten. In black pen. Scott hadn’t seen the handwriting of either, so it’s up to a guess. But… that paper.” Dillan’s lips pressed together tightly. “That paper refuses to leave.”

“What do you-”

“They’ve tried. _We’ve_ tried, too. Thrown it in the trash, burnt it, shredded it- even simply folded it or flipped it over to face the blank side.” His knuckles were turning white with tension. “It doesn’t work. Does not stay away. The morning after, the night after, whenever someone comes in again… it’ll be back there, just how it looked when they first found it. A burnin’ reminder for those that know the story… and, well, now it’s a reminder for you too.

“And… that office holds somethin’ else, too. Ever since Michael’s death, that office has apparently been treated better than the first. Animatronics don’ attack as much, no matter how unstable they might be actin’. That’s why new guards get placed in there at first.” A sour laugh. “Could be a guilty change of heart. Or they just think killin’ William’s son was enough. But hellishly enough, it’s safer.”

“...Did anything happen, afterwards? What happened?”

“Vincent never returned. Vanished without a trace, and with him, Michael’s body. There’s not a single idea of where he’s gone, or if he’s even still alive and out there. Not even William could track him down. But he’s not coming back. That’s a single certainty.” His fingers slowly unclasped, settling back onto the table. “They’ve taken the best thing away.”

Mina’s mouth tasted wrong, as she swallowed back the bile rising in it. It was wrong. It was such a wrong story.

And because they all knew that, as outlandish and horrifically bizarre as it had been, there was no questioning it was true.

A shuffle finally tore her away from her mangled thoughts. Dillan was slipping out a tape from his bag with a shaky hand, pushing it so slowly forth on the table.

“If you want proof… go ahead an’ play it.” He muttered grimly. “It’s not that night. But they still existed. An old copy from Scott so he wouldn’t forget… and now, I keep it so I don’t forget.”

Stella was the first to pick it up with trembling fingers, staring at the black casing. “I don’t think I’ll ever forget.”

His eyes creased slightly. “Probably not. But they were more than that night, and that’s what I mean. Appreciate what’s still good-” He glanced at Walt- “So you don’ lose your memory to only remembering what’s bad.”

Dillan got up from his chair, scooping up his half-eaten pizza in a hand. The others glanced around uncertainly for a moment, gazes flicking between the tape and each other.

“So… we’re playing it?” Jake’s voice was unusually subdued.

“I- Yeah. Sure.” Stella fumbled to stand up. “T-There’s a VCR somewhere in here, right?”

“Right here.” Walt held it up. She slid it in, Mina swallowing as her finger pressed down against the play button.

For a moment, nothing. Then a small, crackling sound, and the screen flickered to life. It was fuzzy, lighting sour and blurry, but she could see the area. The camera was shot up from above, in a corner. Below was a tile floor, a desk, a fan… the office. Footage of the office.

Two figures were inside. One took the swivel chair, hands gripping the monitor. A blurry frown was visible on his lips, legs crossed and tousled locks of brown hair falling across his face. _That must have been Michael._

The other was walking back and forth between the doors, barely visible in the darkness. The only area she got a solid glimpse of were their eyes, flashing from the shadows every time they turned around. Clearly Vincent- and Dillan had been right. His irises were impossibly bright, glittering pinpricks of silver. “So he really _did_ look like that.” She breathed.

“Given their story, it would have been a shitty thing to lie about.” Jake muttered darkly. “...Sure seem to be having fun.”

He was right. Vincent did occasionally step from the back, close to Michael, a grin breaking out across his face. The other glanced up from the monitor, head leaning back against his chest, frown falling away for a moment as a light smile replaced it. Mina’s chest clenched as she watched them. Perhaps they’d known the risks, but… they hadn’t really been aware of just how much would change, had they?

The video was smooth, nothing going wrong, but the longer she watched their silent laughter through the feed, shared smirks that softened so deeply… Dillan’s story jostled and jolted around in her mind. She tried to imagine Michael lying on the ground of that office, blood pooling from his chest. She tried to imagine Vincent’s gaze falling short as he called out for him, with nothing but chilly air in response. She couldn’t.

The tape ended abruptly, and she blinked. No one moved for a solid moment, still staring at the now-dark screen.

“They existed.” It was a limp statement.

“Yeah.” Walt murmured. “They were here.”

A broken, hollow laugh came from Jake. “I guess the lesson is to not fall in love in Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria?”

“As if.” Stella slid out the tape, staring at it in her hands. Her eyes were rimmed with a slight red. “There’s no lesson. Just a story that ended when it shouldn’t have.”

They slowly got up, one by one. Dillan said nothing as he walked back in, taking back the tape and putting it in his bag. As they moved to throw away their abandoned plates, Stella’s words rolled over in Mina’s head, blood rushing through her ears.

_That’s all we are, isn’t it?_ She swallowed, watching the plate drop into the trash can. _Just stories dutifully meeting their ends, even if we don’t have to._

Each of them that currently worked on the night shift did little to truly preserve their own life. If they had goals, they would’ve never considered trying their luck here. They had no real will to live.

Learning about those that _did_ , however…


End file.
